Coyotes' Martin Hanzal follows up fight with goal

by Sarah McLellan - Dec. 23, 2009 10:34 PMThe Arizona Republic

When greeted by reporters and a video camera after scoring his fourth goal of the season in the Coyotes' 4-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks Wednesday night at Jobing.com Arena, center Martin Hanzal joked that he didn't want to be on camera with the side effects of Monday night's fight against Jared Boll of the Columbus Blue Jackets still visible—a puffy face, a smear of a black eye, some cuts on his forehead and stitches hugging the sides of his nose.

But in coach Dave Tippett's mind, that look epitomizes the type of player Hanzal is.

"Marty's a big guy. He plays a pretty competitive game. He's a hockey player," Tippett said with a smile. "He's supposed to have some stitches, right? I always thought that's when I knew I was playing alright is when I had stitches. There's a lot of guys that's a badge of honor if you can get a few stitches."

The stitches came after Hanzal stood up for teammate Radim Vrbata in Monday's game after Boll took a couple of late shots against Vrbata, who repaid the favor Wednesday night by assisting on Hanzal's goal—a shot just inside the blue line near the tail end of the first period that fooled Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller.

"I was lucky," Hanzal said. "It was kinda muffin. So yeah I don't even know where I made the shot, and it was under his blocker. But I was lucky on that one."

The goal was a product of effort, which has been a constant in Hanzal's game all season.

"Marty competed very hard out there (Wednesday night)," Tippett said. "It was a hard game for him, played very well. I mean, it's easy to say, 'Oh you got a couple stitches,' but that's hockey. That's what you're supposed to do."

Saturday: Kings at CoyotesWhen: 7 p.m. | Where: Jobing.com Arena.TV/radio: FSAZ/KGME-AM (910)Coyotes update: Captain Shane Doan will be honored in a pregame ceremony for playing in his 1,000th career game Dec. 17. The Coyotes, fourth in the Western Conference, are seeking their ninth consecutive home victory.Kings update: Los Angeles is fifth in the West, one point behind the Coyotes, and will be playing its first game after eight days off. Four of the Kings' injured players, including LW Ryan Smyth, are expected to return. They are 12-8-1 on the road.